Past, Present & Future
by DishonoredEX
Summary: Johanna Mason was a monster by the end of the rebellion. She had killed too many humans to be able to turn back. And now, the rebels have a huge decision to make. Are they able to use their wisdom, or are they just victims of their past, present and future.


**This is a one-shot that I decided to write on Johanna Mason. I thought it would be interesting to explore what happened to her after the rebellion, and tie that in with the vote for a "Capitol Hunger Game". So please favorite, leave reviews, and above all, kick-back and enjoy reading :)**

There isn't really much left for me. The Capitol is gone now. After Katniss killed Coin, all of Panem was in turmoil. There was talk of rebellion in the Career Districts, and plans were focused against the new regime. And so where was I left in all of this? Even I don't know the answer to that question. Schemes and lies hounded me at every turn, and so-called "allies" looked to me as a symbol of their victory. I was once more than a symbol. I was the Mentor of District 7's females, training them to get killed. Everyday I saw their faces, a piece of my soul fluttered to the ground. And now my soul is tattered beyond repair. Insanity is all that I am now. Insanity is my past, present, and future.

I gaze down the streets of the Capitol and am still amazed at their vanity. Every now and then I still see advertisements for the Hunger Games. The images start rocketing through my mind and I stagger forward. _The District 5 girl as I stab her through the throat. The look the District 12 boy gives me before I rip out his innards. _A couple of curious bystanders stop as if to help, but I swat at them to get away. I stand upright and continue down the street. I have a meeting to attend and I can't afford to be late for this one.

Life in District 7 was better than the lower districts. I still had food to eat every night, and I could always count on the fact that my family was making money. Chopping wood was something that I did everyday. It was something that had to be done everyday if you lived in District 7. No matter what age or your strength you were always expected to cut wood. No exceptions.

_I continue the arduous trek towards the Capitol building and blink the sweat out of my eyes._

There were times that I questioned if my life would be ever more than routine. Was chopping wood my past, present, and future? Please dear God, why can't I just have a little excitement in my life?

_I was at the doors of the building, and I was again in awe of its mammoth size._

My chance for excitement came several weeks later. The Reapings were approaching. I was nervous of course, but I've been through this before. I've put my name in and nothing has happened. I've only had to apply for tesserae a couple of times. However, nothing could've prepared me for what happened that faithful day. What should've been a normal Reapings day turned into a complete nightmare. As as the words "Johanna Mason" left my District Attendant's mouth, my fate was sealed. My past, present, and future were forever set in stone since that day. I was no longer Johanna Mason, a simple wood-chopping girl of District 7. I was Johanna Mason, the next tribute in a long history of death.

I take a seat in the lobby, and took a few deep breaths. It took forever to walk to the Capitol building. I take the elevator to the very top floor and find myself staring apprehensively at the brown door in front of me. I reach out with my sweaty hands, and slowly turn the handle and push the door open. I survey the scene in front of me. Katniss and Beetee are sitting next to each other in an intense conversation, while everyone else watches them.

"Beetee, they took us away! Turned us into monsters for their entertainment. Forevermore are we to remember those nights." Katniss trembled with anger as she spoke.

Beetee shifted uncomfortably in his chair, but spoke with a conviction that people these days sorely lacked. "Katniss, if we take their children we become the monsters. Children who have done nothing wrong. Innocent children, Katniss. Innocent children! Would you have them pay for the sins that their parents committed?"

Katniss looked as if she was going to retaliate, before she noticed me waiting shiftily in the corner.

"Well, Beetee. It looks like all of our board members are present now. The voting can take place."

One of the rebels, who was obviously confused, raised his hand. Katniss nodded at him, and he spoke in a trembling voice.

"W-What exactly are we voting on?"

Katniss and Beetee both gave the rebel looks of exasperation, but I felt a twinge of sympathy for the rebel. I looked at Katniss for approval, and she seemed to get what I was asking. She waved her hand impatiently, and I smiled in spite of the situation. She always thought she was better than me.

"We are voting on something that could potentially alter the course of history. Potentially turn us into the very regime we worked so hard to destroy." My ominous warning seemed to have even more horrified, but he remained resolute.

"But what is it! What can so drastically change us into the Capitol!" The pleading in his voice caused my heart to ache. Funny. I thought I had cried all the tears I could cry, and let out all the sorrow that I could. Maybe I am still human. I take a deep breath and gaze into the eyes of the rebel.

"We are voting, on whether or not, to hold a Hunger Games for the children of the Capitol."

He opened his mouth to say something, and then promptly closed his mouth. The surprise and pain on his face was evident. I could literally see the wheels in his head turning as he tried to process this little bit of information. Instead of replying, he just sat, put his head in his arms, and started sobbing quietly. I saw Beetee reach out and comfort the young man, as many of the other board members also seem to sink into a fit of depression. Katniss suddenly stood up and pushes her chair in. She paces back in forth, and the other board members watch uneasily.

"We have to vote" she says hoarsely. I'm surprised that she was affected by the rebels sobs, but I realize that all Victors have come to the conclusion that they were monsters too. It's hard for a small-time rebel to understand that he was a monster too. He was only hear because we wanted a representative from the army who wasn't high-ranking. He didn't deserve this. None of us did.

"Katniss...are you sure?" Beetee looks at her with trepidation.

"Yes. We have too. Not just for our sake, but for every tribute and every Victor forced to participate in these Games. Nothing for us was ever normal. Our past, present and future was written down when they started their Games. We can't just not retaliate. We just can't..." Tears form in her eyes and she sits back down in her chair. Surprisingly, the rebel stands up, the tears no longer in his eyes.

"We are all monsters. People who don't deserve to walk this earth. But the Capitol is even worse than we are." He sways slightly, but I put my hand out and steady him. He looks at me gratefully, and I nod at him to sit.

"Even monsters should have second chances. All for creating a Hunger Games for the children of the Capitol?" I survey the hands in the air and nod. "All against creating a Hunger Games for the children of the Capitol?" Once again I nod at the hands in the air.

"Then it's decided. The board's verdict is..."

**END**


End file.
